Dear Parents,

Maya Angelou’s words couldn’t be more adequate to start our last newsletter of the school year 2022/2023. The final result, or the beauty of a changing process, is what is normally highlighted when we want to celebrate achievements, results, or  a closing cycle. And during the J4 Graduation we were able to witness the “beauty of the butterfly” as written by Angelou. The J4 students prepared very thoughtful videos that were shared with the audience. With their words we could see that the students were ready to celebrate their beautiful change throughout the years in Junior School. When asked to define their time in Junior School, some shared the lines below:

However, as Angelou wrote in her quote “we rarely admit the changes” we have  gone through to be who we are now. And, with our J4s, it wasn’t different. They celebrated the beauty of being ready for a next journey, but we have the collective role of acknowledging all the challenges the students faced along their paths. We can easily point to the pandemic, which was clearly a challenge for them and for education, but we can’t lose sight of their individual learning  journeys too, and their daily efforts to overcome the challenges of transforming… changing into butterflies ready to fly. Their graduation last Friday reminded us of all the beautiful moments the J4s have experienced. A moment where the J4 students opened their wings and declared themselves ready for their next flight to Middle School. 

The bittersweet moment of closing a cycle is also a moment for the celebration of those who were involved and committed to the journey of our Junior School students. Continuing our reflection on Angelou’s words about the “beauty of a butterfly”, and thinking of the Junior School teachers who have been hand in hand a part of the changing process with our students, we want to acknowledge two teachers who, especially last week, moved through many obstacles to make a special week in Junior School happen. They are our PE teachers, Mr. Juan De Rosa and Mr. Nico Sale who were unstoppable, as mentioned in the J4 student quote, and made Sports Days possible for the Junior School students.

We learned a reflective lesson with Mr. De Rosa and Mr. Sale this past week. A lesson on professionalism, open-mindedness, flexibility, risk taking, stretching creativity, and adjusting together as a team. This lesson on the IB learner profile was led by them while facing many obstacles that were put in their way and could have prevented Sports Days in Junior School from happening. Some were things that were visible to everyone, and many were things that were not. Nothing stopped our PE teachers from searching and finding the solutions to make Sports Days happen. At all times, while meeting the challenges, they never lost sight of the Junior School  students and what students needed to make it an enjoyable and fun day. We thank again, Mr. Sale and Mr. De Rosa, and all those who joined the effort to make the days unforgettable for the students. Well done on a successful sports week, Junior School! Next week, the J4s will continue their farewell to Junior School with a field trip to Ferox Athletics on Tuesday, June 13, closing the Sports Days schedule for the year. 

Now that we head into our final week of school, we invite all parents to look back at their child’s path and changing process while becoming butterflies with their beautiful differences and individual journeys. We invite you to celebrate them, acknowledge their accomplishments and efforts, and encourage them to see and admit the changing process, as Angelou said, in their learning experience at UNIS. We also thank you all for trusting us to be part of your child’s educational changing path and for the partnership and support throughout this school year.

We wish you all amazing Summer holidays with your families! 

Let the butterflies fly!

Alessandra Camilo, Junior School Assistant Principal
Pascal Vallet, Junior School Principal

Important Note: We invite all of you to read each section of this newsletter as it brings very important information for our last week of classes.

• • Tuesday, June 13 | J4 Sports Day (waivers in this newsletter)

  • Friday, June 16 | Return School-Issued iPad or Chromebook to Homeroom Teacher (details in this newsletter)

  • Friday, June 16 | JS Last Day (Half Day) of School /  11:50 Dismissal for JS (details below)

  • Friday, June 16 | 2nd Semester Report Cards Available 5:00pm (details in this newsletter)

  • Tuesday, June 20 | Deadline to request Report Card corrections (details in this newsletter)

and summer vacation!

FRIDAY, JUNE 16: YELLOW BUS DEPARTURE TIME IS 12:15

Dear Parents,

Friday, June 16, the last day of class for Junior School, will be a half day of school (early dismissal). 

Yellow buses will depart UNIS promptly at 12:15 pm instead of 3:15 pm. This is three (3) hours earlier than a normal school day. Please adjust the afternoon pick up times for your children accordingly.

OPT does not provide half day dismissal schedules. The afternoon pick up time at your bus stop will be three (3) hours earlier than usual. Please note this on your calendars. These changes do not affect your morning yellow bus service. Morning service will operate on a normal schedule.

There will be no after care or after school programs on this date.

Please update School Dismissal Manager (SDM) with your dismissal instructions, if your child is in Junior School.

Please note that this message does not apply to Middle School students, as their last day of classes is Thursday, June 15th.

Thank you,

UNIS Transportation Team  (transportation@unis.org)

• • Friday, September 1 | Orientation for New to UNIS J1 - J4 Students

  • Wednesday, September 6 | 1st Day of School Year 2023-24 for all JS Students 

WEEKLY PRIORITY: Update your child's SDM account for Activities After School & Bus

Accurate daily information entered by you in SDM 

is the only way that your child 

can be escorted to the correct location at dismissal.

See the PA's section of this newsletter for PA-sponsored events & information.

IMPORTANT: 

All departments at UNIS, including the nurse, rely on the information that you provide in the Veracross Parent Portal to contact you. 

The only way you or your caregiver can be reached in an emergency, or when there are schoolwide announcements, is through the information that your family adds to our UNIS Portal. 

Please review your family profile and contact information to ensure that all of your local cell phone numbers, work phone numbers, email addresses and home address are correct and are entered in the correct fields. 

If you have not reviewed your information since the start of this school year, we encourage you to do it today so that we can reach you quickly if needed, especially if you have relocated from abroad.

After logging into the Portal at myunis.vc , you may review and update all of your family contact information by:

• Going to Veracross

• Clicking on Household Information

• Updating Household Profile -> Contacts.

Thank you for taking the time to review and update your contact information now, and throughout the school year if your contact information changes.

If you need support in order to make your updates, please email tech.support@unis.org

Semester 2 Report Cards for Junior School students will be published at 5:00pm on Friday, June 16 on the Veracross Parent Portal.

We encourage you to save and review this report card with your child over this weekend to celebrate his/her achievements during this past semester, and year, and engage in conversation about their growth.

The deadline for requesting a correction for a typographical error will be Tuesday, June 20. Please contact jsoffice@unis.org by email no later than June 20 to request a correction.

Your child’s academic achievement for each individual subject is reported separately from his/her learning skills. The descriptors for academic achievement levels ensure a greater JA to T4 alignment and provide clarity in the transition between the word-based scale used in JA to M2 and the numeric scale used from M3 to T4. Previous used Learning to Learn Skills have been replaced by the IB Approaches to Learning Skills. The skills selected for a K-12 progression (Social Skills, Communication Skills, Self-Management Skills, Thinking Skills) are developmentally defined and will be assessed from a frequency of observable behavior.

What is the purpose of the report cards?

The purpose of the report card is to communicate your student’s achievement and learning goals. It is designed to provide you with clear and specific information about your child’s academic progress and the development of behaviors that support lifelong learning. This information includes identifying your child’s level of progress; areas of strength; areas needing additional time, effort, and/or support; and opportunities for growth, based on assessments that demonstrate evidence of learning and teachers’ evaluation.

What grade descriptors are used (JA-M2 Descriptors)

• MASTERING: The student is mastering the required grade level concepts, knowledge and skills by applying and extending these in a wide range of complex situations independently.

• PROFICIENT: The student is proficient in demonstrating understanding of the required grade level concepts, knowledge and skills with minimal or no teacher support needed to transfer learning to new situations.

• PROGRESSING: The student is progressing in demonstrating, with some gaps, understanding of the required grade level concepts, knowledge and skills by applying them in familiar situations with occasional teacher support.

• EMERGING: The student demonstrates emerging understanding of the required grade level concepts. The student is beginning to apply related knowledge and skills but needs a high level of teacher support.

How do I access my child’s report cards?

The Report Cards will be published on the Parent Portal of Veracross on June 16. To view them, access the Parent Portal of Veracross (link found on the Parent Portal from the UNIS Website). After logging in to Veracross, simply click on "Classes & Reports", and then on "Report Card".

Tuesday, June 20 will be the deadline for questions about a specific JS teacher’s grading. Please contact the JS Office directly by email no later than the 20th of June jsoffice@unis.org.

If you do not yet have access to the Veracross portal and need instructions on how to do so, please contact veracross@unis.org for support.

1. From UNIS website, select “Parent Portal”

2. Click on "Veracross Parent Portal"

3. Select “Classes & Reports”

4. Under PROGRESS REPORT, select the required report card

Again, if you do not have access to the Veracross portal and need instructions or support, please contact veracross@unis.org to get information.

Student Chromebooks & iPads Must be Returned no Later than June 16

Students who are returning to UNIS next year:

Please bring in all iPads, Chromebooks, and corresponding chargers to school as soon as possible this week, and no later than Friday, June 16. They will be collected and left in your child's current homeroom for redistribution next academic year.

Students who are leaving UNIS:

Students who are leaving UNIS will be required to return the iPads and/or Chromebooks and chargers that belong to the school. The equipment will be collected in the homerooms. Please remind your child to bring both the iPads, Chromebook and corresponding chargers to school any day this week in order to return them.

If you have already left the NYC area, you can also ship the iPads and / or Chromebook and the Charger to UNIS or have someone drop them off at the school for you. Please email tech.support@unis.org if you need this option and our IT department will follow up with specific mailing or drop off instructions. 

Chromebooks that are not returned to UNIS will be locked for use following the last day of school, Friday, June 16.

Please take the time to review your family profile and contact information to ensure that your cell phone numbers, email addresses and home address are correct and are entered in the correct fields. You may update your information at any point throughout the year, but if you have not reviewed your information recently, we encourage you to do it now so that you can stay informed over the summer and as the new school year begins.

All departments at UNIS rely on the information that you provide in the Veracross Parent Portal to contact you. The only way you can be reached in an emergency, or when there are school wide announcements, is through the information that you, the family, has entered in the Portal.

After logging into the Portal at myunis.vc , you may review and update all of your family contact information by:

• Going to Veracross

• Clicking on Household Information

• Updating Household Profile -> Contacts

If you need support in order to make your updates, please email tech.support@unis.org

Click on the link below to access specific information regarding your child's grade.

Thank you to all of the parents who supported us throughout the 2022-23 school year! We want to especially acknowledge the dedication of the Class Parents who connected with the Principals to share parent feedback and offer their support.

The extraordinary positive energy, dedication, collaboration and strong leadership of our JS PA Reps, Mindy Tan, Zhenzhen Huang and Sue Jing should be celebrated by all! They worked tirelessly for the good of everyone in Junior School and they have our deepest gratitude.

Please join us in thanking them!

J4 Sports Day Waivers Are Due

Tuesday, June 13 - J4 Sports Day at Ferox Athletics in Greenpoint, from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

J4 Sports Day will be held Tuesday, June 13 at Ferox Athletics in Greenpoint, and students will be transported by bus to and from UNIS for the activity. 

UNIS and Ferox Athletics require J4 parents to complete these waivers for students to be eligible to participate: 

1. Complete the UNIS Travel Waiver Here and return it to Daniel O'Connor 

2. Complete the Ferox Waiver online.

We extend our deepest appreciation to Mr. DeRosa and Mr. Salé, the formidable captains of our sports days, and the parents who worked tirelessly alongside them. Their adaptability and inventiveness in responding to unusual air quality circumstances, reshaping our outdoor activities to suit an indoor environment, was nothing short of inspiring. To the spirited students who actively participated, you truly are the lifeblood of our school community. We are currently in the process of coordinating swimming activities for our J2 and J3 students. However, we regret to inform you that, as of now, we have not received a positive response from the Pool Management. We appreciate your patience as we continue our efforts to secure this valuable opportunity for our students.

We hope that this digital padlet will be fun and engaging. It was created for UNIS students to remember what they’ve learned and to help them prepare for the next school year! 

And, here are summer math challenges for students entering J4 and M1 in September 2023:

Current J3 Entering J4

Current J4 Entering M1

On his last day of classes, former JAW student & Tut 4, Miles came to visit during our Humanities lesson to share warm memories of being in JAW! It was a joyful moment! I am very proud of Miles! 

Virginia Whitelaw | JA Homeroom Teacher

JS students are not permitted to bring toys from home, including electronics, balls and trading cards. Aside from often being lost, these items are a distraction from learning in the classroom, and a cause of conflict at play and during after school programs.

We understand that some families provide their children with smartwatches or cell phones for safety reasons. However, upon entering the school building, all watches and phones are to be silenced and placed securely in the students backpack and remain there until they are dismissed. We ask that parents not attempt to text, call or send alerts to their Junior School child during the school day. If you need to reach your JS child on an urgent matter, please phone the JS Office at 212-584-3190 or email jsoffice@unis.org with a copy to your child's teacher. 

Gum chewing is not permitted at school at any point during the school day, including during playtime, and students are not permitted to bring any gum or candy to school.

Note that the school is not responsible for the loss of any personal items, valuable or not, that students have brought from home. This includes jewelry, smart watches, cell phones, electronic devices, toys, etc.

If your child is not returning to UNIS in September please make the withdrawal official and facilitate the release of UNIS records needed to enroll your child in a new school. Email the Business Office, Registrar and JS Principal as soon as possible at:

• enrollment@unis.org (Business Office)

• evanaken@unis.org  (Estela van Aken, Registrar)  

• pvallet@unis.org  (Pascal Vallet, JS Principal) 

UNIS VIDEO LIBRARY

If you missed a meeting or want to review what you remember from a past meeting, UNIS maintains a library of recordings available at https://vimeo.com/unisny.  Some highlights include a Fireside Chat with the Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed and a This is Junior School video. 

As an important reminder, we ask all JS families to reinforce at home that JS students should not trade or sell any food or possessions at school, and to follow these Guidelines about money and toys:

No Money at School 

Junior School children should not bring money to school and they are not permitted to purchase food in the Cafeteria or from vending machines.  If they forget their lunch from home one day, they can ask the JS Office to help arrange for school lunch for that day. Parents are expected to send payment in cash to the Food Service Director the following day in an envelope with their child’s name and homeroom. 

No Toys at School 

JS students are not permitted to bring toys from home, including electronics, balls and trading cards. Aside from often being lost, these items are a distraction from learning in the classroom, and a cause of conflict at play and during after school programs.

The complete JS Guidelines are always available for review at: JUNIOR SCHOOL GUIDELINES FAQ

COVID PROTOCOLS

If your child had any symptoms that could be consistent with COVID, they need to remain at home and take a rapid test. 

Students can return to school under the following conditions:

• they have tested negative on a rapid antigen

• they are afebrile for at least 24 hours

• their symptoms have resolved or are greatly improving

If your child's test is positive please email a picture of the test to covid@unis.org.

Please review the full protocols on our website https://www.unis.org/covid-protocols." 

HEALTH PROTOCOLS

We would like to remind everyone about our health protocols:

• When your child is sick with runny nose, cough, stomach ache, fever, headache, etc. there is no expectation from the Junior School that they should attend class in person or attempt to learn from home. 

• If your child has symptoms that would normally have kept them at home prior to COVID-19, we ask that families not send their children to school or request for schoolwork to be sent home.

• We hope that time will be taken for your child to rest and recover at home as the school believes that children recover more quickly when they are permitted to disconnect and rest, and when care is taken by everyone to avoid spreading communicable illnesses.

• If your child had any symptoms that could be consistent with COVID, they need to remain at home and take a rapid test. Students can return to school under the following conditions:

  • • they have tested negative on a rapid antigen

    • are afebrile for at least 24 hours

    • their symptoms have resolved or are greatly improving

    • If your child's test is positive, please email a picture of the test to covid@unis.org.

You may review the full protocols on our website COVID & Health Protocols. 

Thank you for supporting the entire UNIS community by keeping your children at home when they are not well. 

When your child will be absent, please email your homeroom teacher before 8:00am with a copy to jsattendance@unis.org . We also encourage families to update SDM in order to alert all other departments, especially After School activities and Transportation.

The late arrival of students in the morning is disruptive for faculty and staff and your child's classmates.

 J2, J3 and J4 students are expected to arrive at 8:15 and proceed directly to their homeroom. 

PK, JA and J1 are expected to arrive at 8:20 and proceed directly to their homeroom.

Please ensure that your child arrives at the time assigned for your child's grade.

IF YOU DROP OFF YOUR CHILD AT ARRIVAL TIME FOR THEIR GRADE

IF YOU GO TO THE CAFETERIA BEFORE DROPPING OFF YOUR CHILD

• Legal guardians may access the school building to wait near the drop-off zone, and remain in the company of their children until the announcement is made for students to line up with their classes at 8:15 (J2/J3/J4) or 8:20 (PreK, JA, J1).

• Legal guardians may access the school building to sit in the cafeteria, beginning at 7:30 am, and remain in the company of their children until the announcement is made for students to walk independently to their classes at 8:15 (J2/J3/J4) or to line up outside Staircase D to meet their teachers and walk to their classrooms at 8:20 (PreK, JA, J1).

• Legal guardians may remain in the cafeteria until 9:00 am.

• Legal guardians who arrive earlier than 8:15/8:20 in order to have breakfast in the cafeteria must supervise their children at all times while on the premises until an announcement is made for students to line up with their teachers or proceed directly to their classrooms (dependent upon grade). 

• At no time is playground access permitted for students being supervised by their guardians. Playground access is reserved solely for students arriving by Yellow Bus who are in the care of school personnel.

• At no time may legal guardians enter the 2nd floor or access any classrooms.

• Legal guardians and students are expected to arrive at the campus no later than the arrival time for their grade as shared by the school's administration. Late arrivals impact the efficiency of our protocols designed for smooth transitions, as well as to detract from our community's safety. Families are strongly encouraged to ensure that their child(ren) arrives at UNIS at the time assigned for their grade, and no earlier or later.

• Students arriving at school by bus will be welcomed and supervised in the playground.

• J2, J3 and J4 students arriving at 8:15 am walk independently to their classrooms. If J2, J3 and J4 students have arrived earlier and are in the cafeteria supervised by their legal guardians, an announcement will be made at 8:15 for those students to proceed to their classrooms independently using Staircase D.

• J1 students arriving at 8:20 walk independently to their classrooms. If J1 students have arrived earlier and are in the cafeteria supervised by their legal guardians, an announcement will be made at 8:20 for those students to line up outside Staircase D with their legal guardians and then proceed to their classrooms independently.

• PK and JA are welcomed by their teachers at 8:20 at Staircase D and proceed directly to their classrooms. 

• PK and JA students who are in the cafeteria being supervised by their legal guardians will hear an announcement at 8:20 to meet their teachers at Staircase D to proceed to their classroom.

There is a strict hand-to-hand policy in the Junior School for dismissal:

JS teachers will only dismiss at the end of the day to a parent, authorized caregiver, after school/after care/athletics teacher/coach, or bus supervisor. JS students are not permitted to leave the front gate of the campus without adult supervision. Only a sibling in M3 or older may be given permission to escort their sibling from campus.

During Dismissal time, legal guardians should not gather inside the school premises to wait for their child. If their child is not at the designated location, they should continue to walk, following the flow, until their child arrives.

PreK through J4 students are not permitted to meet parents or caregivers outside the school’s front gate. Teachers must release students whose dismissal is indicated as being “Pick-up” in SDM, to parents, or another adult authorized by the parents, following the dismissal guidelines as indicated below.

Please note that parents and caregivers are expected to arrive at UNIS no later than the time indicated in this section. If parents or caregivers are not able to arrive on time on a regular basis, please contact our Office of Special Programs to register for the Care Program. If you or your caregiver is running late in unusual circumstances and will arrive later than the time indicated, the school will place your student in the Care Program. Parents are aware that Non‐Registered Care Program drop off has a specific cost (see After Care protocol for most updated fees).

To give permission for a new caregiver to enter UNIS to pick up or drop off your child, please log in to the Veracross Parent Portal at myunis.vc:

• Log in to Veracross

• Click on Household Information

• Update Household Profile by clicking on Contacts for My Children and +Add New

• Enter that caregiver’s details under the Contacts section (add as many additional contacts and caregivers as you need)

• Next, grant the contacts Pickup Authorization as needed by clicking on Pickup Authorization on the right and +Add New.

After you enter that information in Veracross, your caregiver can have a UNIS ID made that will allow him/her access to the school to pick up and drop off. In the interim, until the caregiver information is populated by IT to the Security Access card system, fill in this ID Authorization Form, print and sign it, and have the caregiver carry this form along with a photo ID to present to Security at the front gate until a physical UNIS ID card is printed.

Parents are asked to retrieve and turn in ID cards issued to caregivers who are no longer employed.

• PK and JA are dismissed by their teachers at 2:45 pm

• J1 and J2 are dismissed by their teachers at 2:50 pm

• J3 and J4 are dismissed by their teachers at 3:00 pm

To support our Security team and ensure a smooth transition, parents and guardians arriving to pick up their children at dismissal should avoid entering the school building.

• Parents/legal guardians arriving on time at school for dismissal can pick up their child at designated areas indicated in the Dismissal Map.

• After JS dismissal and before 5:45pm: parents may pick up their child in the cafeteria by following the directions given by the security guards.

• Parents are required to indicate in the note field in SDM the identity of the parent/caregiver who will pick up their child, providing both the first and last name as it appears on that person’s identification. This information needs to be accurate on any given day. If the information is not provided correctly by the family, but the parent/caregiver is registered as a parent or an authorized caregiver in Veracross, and UNIS personnel are able to verify that information, the student will be allowed to leave with him/her. This information is required at dismissal as well as when the pick-up is scheduled after an After School, Care Program or Athletic activity.

• Parents are required to list all caregivers/babysitters on the portal in Veracross. Security will not allow entrance to caregivers/babysitters who are undocumented/not listed in Veracross. To avoid delay and complications at pick-up, please make sure to maintain an updated list of all caregivers/babysitters in Veracross on the portal. In case of an emergency, parents are required to call and email the JS Office or After School program (depending on the pick up time) providing the full name of the individual who is picking up their child and confirming that that person will carry a government issued photo ID.

Any student scheduled to be picked up at school by the parent/caregiver, and that parent/caregiver fails to collect the child at dismissal, will be brought to the Care Program and the family will be billed accordingly. Parents are aware that Non‐Registered Care Program drop off has a cost (see After Care protocol for most updated fees).

When Your Child is Sick

When your child is sick with runny nose, cough, stomach ache, fever, headache, etc. there is no expectation from the school that they should attend school in person or attempt to learn from home. 

If your child has symptoms that would normally have kept them at home prior to COVID-19, we ask that families not send their children to school or request for schoolwork to be sent home.

We hope that time will be taken for your child to rest and recover at home as the school believes that children recover more quickly when they are permitted to disconnect and rest, and when care is taken by everyone to avoid spreading communicable illnesses.

Please be mindful as you pack lunches for your Junior School child(ren) as these will remain stored in their backpacks until snack or lunch time. If lunch items require cooling, please be sure to include insulated ice packs in the packaging for your child's lunch. No additional heating or cooling options are available. 

For reasons related to student allergies and health, the policy for JS student birthday celebrations on campus has been updated.

• Birthdays will continue to be acknowledged and celebrated in the JS Homeroom and/or with the Mother Tongue group. 

• Students may bring a special food treat for themself from home on their birthday to enjoy at snack or lunch time.

• Instead of bringing food treats from home to be shared with classmates, the birthday student may choose from a menu of fun activities offered by the Homeroom or MT teacher for the class to participate in together. The activities will be age-appropriate and vary by grade.

• At the discretion of the Homeroom teacher, there may be individual celebrations for each student, or there may be grouped, monthly birthday celebrations. 

• Details about the birthday celebration policy for your child’s homeroom were discussed in more detail with parents at Back to School Night on September 28.

At this time, mask wearing while on campus is optional and the discretion of your family. Be assured that all JS students whose families choose to have them remain masked at school will be fully supported by our faculty and staff.

If your child will wear a mask at school be sure you have packed at least 2 spare masks in a clean bag in your child's backpack, as well as an extra bag to hold used masks if they aren't disposable. 

This means that students, families, faculty and staff are respectfully asked to refrain from bringing peanuts, nuts, and seeds of any kind or foods processed with these items or their by products, such as oils, into the school. This includes products which state "may contain traces of nuts/peanuts/tree nuts” or "manufactured in a facility which processes" nuts/peanuts/tree nuts.

For example, tree nuts (such as almonds, pistachios, pine nuts, cashews, brazil nuts, pecans, walnuts, etc.) and foods associated with them (such as nutella, pesto, granola bars, marzipan, macaroons, hummus (containing sesame), etc.) may present a risk to others.